Shock-absorber for automobiles.



0. A. PETERSEN.

SHOCK ABSORBER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION rum) NOV. 22, 1909.

970,390. Patented Sept. 13. 1910.

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SHOCK ABSORBER FOB. AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION nun nov. 22, 1900.

Patented Sept. 13,1910.

3 SHEETS-BEBE! 2.

I Ommm I: I name:

C. A. PETERSEN. SHOCK ABSORBER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 22, 1909. Patented Sept. 13, 1910 E1 Horned 3 BKEETS-SHEET 3.

ORISTIAN ALFRED PETERSEN, OF LACONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

SHOCK-ABSORBER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

Application filed November 22, 1909. Serial No. 529,457.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CRISTIAN ALFRED PETERSEN, a subject of the King of Denmark, residing at Laconia, in the county of Belknap and bta-te of New Hampshire,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shock-Absorbers for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shock absorbers for automobiles.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may readily be attached to an automobile without requiring any change in the structural arrangement of its parts; which in operation shall bethoroughly eflicient. in absorbing jars and vibrations incident to the passage of the vehicle over the ground; and 1n which by novel means, the resistance of the attachment to yielding may readily be adjusted, whereby to adapt it to a vehicle carrying a li ht or heavy load.

With the a ove and other objects in View,

as will appearas the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a shock absorber, as will hereinafter be fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawin s, forming a part of this s cification, an in which like characters 0 referenceindicate corres onding parts: Figure 1 is a viewin side e evation, somewhat in the nature of a diagram, exhibiting the shock absorber, and the means by which it is attached to the axle and body of an automobile. Fig. 2 is an edge, elevation of the device. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the device. Fig. 1 is an inside view, in elevation, of the piston.. Fig. 5 is a collective View, exhibited somewhat diagrammatically, of the drive shaft of the device, Fig. 6 is a longltu'dinal sectional view through the drive shaft, showing more particularly the means by which the passage of the controlling fiuid throu h the shaft may be regulated'atwill. ig. 7 is a transverse sec tional View taken on the line 77, Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a similar view taken on the line 88, Fig. 6. Fi s. 9 and 10 are perspective detail views of t e casing members, viewed from the inside. Fig. .11 is a detail view of an attachment that may be employed to increase the resistance of the passage of the controlling fluid from one side to the other of the iston.

As shownin Fig. 3, the casing of the device consists of two members 1 and 2 each of which is provided with a flan e 3 and 4 respectively which flan es are 161d assembled by bolts 5 as clear y shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The member 2 is in the nature of a disk, while the member 1 is in the nature of v an 0 en-ended cylinder. This arrangement is ar itrary, and may be varied if found necessary or advantageous. Themember 1 is provided with an outstanding centrallydisposed hollow boss 6, and the member 2, with a similar boss 7, that is exteriorly threaded to be engaged by an interiorly threaded packing nut 8, a suitable packing 9 constituting, in conjunction with the nut,

' a stuffing box.

Arranged within the cylinder is a shaft 10 one end of which is-reduced to provide a bearing 11 to engage the boss 6, and the other end 12 of which is reduced to fit within the stufling box. This double reduction of the'ends of the shaft will cause the center thereof to be of increased diameter, and the shoulders 13 presented by the enlar ement form abutments that bearagainst t e opposed faces of the casing members, and thus prevent the former from having any appreciable lateral play.

Mounted upon the enlarged portion of the shaft is a piston designated generally 14, the periphery of which is provided with a circumferential groove 15. to receive the packing, thus to insure a fluid-tight juncture with the walls, or rather the inner periphery of the member 1.

A feature that differentiates the present invention from the known art is that under the vibrations of the vehicle responsive to inequalities ina roadway, the piston is caused to have a positive reciprocatory movement longitudinally of the shaft to cause the cushioning fluid, which may be oil or any other agent adapted to the purpose, alternately to be forced from one side to the other of the piston, thus to insure even cushioning on the up and down movements v that of the piston. These two sets of abutments, as shown in Fig. 4, are arranged in break-joint order, thus to insure a constant and even supply of the controlling fluid to each side of the piston. As shown in Fig. 9, the abutments are, when viewed from the edge of the piston, rhomboidal in shape, the inclined faces being oppositely disposed. The abutments are engaged by two-throw cams carried by the opposed faces of the easing members 1 and 2, which cams are of circular form, and may be either integral with the casing members, or secured thereto. In order to permit the piston to slide longitudinally of the shaft, the latter is provlded with a key 18, commensurate in length with the enlarged portion of the shaft, and which engages a key-way 19 in the hub 20 of the piston.

One of the essential features of the invention is the provision of means whereby the cushioning-fluid may be forced from one side to the other of the piston. Three distinct means are herein shown for securing this result, the first of which is exhibited in Fig. 3, and which consists of the provision of a valve 21, the shank of which projects through an orifice 22 in the piston and carries opposite the valve-head a coiled spring 23, which bears at one end against the face of the piston and at its other end against awasher 24, which is held in position by a cotter-pin 25. Surrounding and concentric with the orifice 22 is a series of ports 26 which are normally closed by the valve-head 21. As will be apparent, this form of valve will control the passage of the fluid in one direction only; but should it be desired to cause the absorber to work with equal resistance on both motions of the vehicle a second valve-head26, Fig. 11, may be employed, which will be disposed upon the valve-stem on the side of the piston opposite that engaged by the valve-head 21, and will be caused to cover the ports 26 by the spring 23. i I

The second means for permitting passage of the cushioning fluid from one side to the other of the cylinder is shown in Fig. 6, in

detail, and in the other figures in elevation. This consists in providing the shaft with a bore 27 that terminates short of the reduced portion 11, the bore being intersected by two lateral ports 28 and 29. the bore contained within the reduced portion 12, and extending slightly past the port 29, is threaded for the reception of the bolt 39, having a wrench head 31, and being provided with a lock-nut 32 by which to retain the bolt 30 in anydesired adjustment relative to the port 29. As will be-obviousby reference to Fig. 6, longitudinal adjustment of the bolt 30 Wlll adjust the area of the port 29 to cause it to present easy or restricted passage of the cushioning fluid, thus to adapt the device to be responsive to heavy That portion of or light loads. It will be understood, of

course, that when the valve-head 26' is em-' ployed, the bolt 30'will be shifted to clear the port 29, thus to permit passage of fluid from one side to theother of the cylinder.

The third means provided for the passage of the cushioning fluid is shown in detail in Fig. 5, and consists in providing the enlarged portion of the shaft with any desired.

number of longitudinal grooves 33, which are preferably though not of necessity tapered at each end, and are slightly longer than the hub of thepiston. 'By-having the ends of the grooves tapered, when the piston is at the central portion, of. the enlarged sec tion of the shaft, the piston will ride easily, but resistance to movement will progressively be presented as the piston approaches either of the reduced terminals of thegrooves, and thus prevent too free yielding of the parts of the device.

The means for combining the attachmen with an automobile comprises an arm' 34 former of whichis provided with a 'collar 37 that fits upon the outer end 38 of the shaft, the latter being flattened. on one side to insure a non-rotatablev connection between the parts. The arm36 isprovided.

with a collar 39, which is loosely journaled upon the boss 6, as clearly shown'in Fig. 2.

The two arms are bent so as tobe spaced from the casing, the arm v36 being the sh Jrter' and being secured to'the. arm 35v by bolts40, 1 and the latter arm being provided at its lower fterminal with a pivo'tally-connected split collar 41 by which the arm35 is op-, eratively connected with the axle oft-he vehicle. The'casing. member 1 is provided with a threaded opening that is engaged by a plug 42, and through the opening the fluid is supplied to the casing.

In the operation of the device, and under the vertical reciprocatory movements ofthe body of the vehicle, the shaft 10 isrotated through an arc corresponding to such movements, and this will causetherpisto'n also to be rotated. During these movements, the abutments 16 will be causedto ride upon the faces of the two-throw cams 17, and this will cause the piston to reciprocate upon, the shaft causing the fluid to be forcedfrom one side to-the other of. the piston, through g the vehicle body will efficiently be absorbed. I. i

the various ports described, with the result that all ars on both the upward and downx v ward movement of 125 'The 'advantage accruing from a late'ral i reciprocatory movement. of the piston over a rotary motion is that the action is quickerandinore pos1t1ve,-and requires less throw of the arms 35, resulting in more responsive and effective cushioning action.

Of course, it will be understood that all of the ports described for ermitting passage of the fluid from one side to the other of the piston may be utilized, or any one or more of them as preferred, and as this will be obvious, detailed illustration of any other form than that shown is deemed unnecessaiiy.

claim 1. A shock absorber comprising a casing, a piston therein provided on opposite sides with cam-faced abutments arranged in break-joint order, two-throw cams carried by the casing and engaging the abutments, keyed to the piston, means for rotatingt e shaft whereby to cause the coaction between the qabutments and the cams to impart a reciprocatory movement to the piston longitudinally of the shaft, and means 'for ermitting passage of the fluid under gra ually, increasing resistance from one side to the other of the piston.

2. A shock absorber comprising a casing provided with a rigid arm for connection with the body of a vehicle, a shaft journaled within the casing, an arm rigid with the outer terminal of the shaft, means for pivotally connecting the latter arm with the axle of the vehicle, a piston loosely splined upon the shaft, means for imparting reciprocatory movements to the piston longitudinally of the shaft under the vibrations of the vehicle body, and means for permitting passage of fluid from one side to the other of the piston under vibrations of the vehicle body.

3. A shock absorber comprising a casing, a piston therein provided on opposite sides with cam-faced abutments arranged in break-joint order, two-throw cams carried by the casing and engaging the abutments,

a shaft loosely keyed to the piston, means for rotating the shaft whereby to cause the coaction between the abutments and the cams to impart a reci rocatory movement to the piston longitu inally of the shaft, and means for ermitting passage of the fluidfrom one side to the other of the piston durin its reciprocatory movements.

4. shock absorber comprising a casing provided with a rigid arm for connection withthe body of a vehicle, a shaft j'ournaled within the casing and provided with 'a polygonal terminal, an arm engaging the terminal, means for pivotally connecting the latter arm with the axle of a vehicle, a piston loosely splined upon the shaft, means for imparting reciprocatory movements to the piston longitudinally ofthe shaft under the vibrations of the vehicle body, and means for permitting passage of fluid from one side to the other of the piston under vibrations of the vehicle body.

5. A shock absorber eomprisin a casing composed of twomembers, one 0 which is provided with a hollow boss and the other with a stuffing-box, a fil fift having reduced terminals engaging thefbbs's and the stuffingbox and with an intermediat'e enlarged portion bearing againstthe opposed faces of the casing-members to revent longitudinal movement of the sha t, a 'piston loosely splined upon the shaft, means for imparting reciprocatory movements totho iston longitudinally of the shaft, means or permitting passage of a fluid from one side to the other of the piston, and means for rotating the shaft.

In testimon whereof I affix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

GRISTIAN ALFRED PETERSEN.

Witnesses:

FRED JOHNSON, CARL EIBYS. 

